The Clinton County Inmate Population
The Clinton County inmate population centers on Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhattan. County material describes the facility as secure detention for pre-trial and convicted offenders, with minimum-security Work Release and Community Release programs for selected people. It also states that the facility houses prisoners from the Pennsylvania state system and other counties. That matters because the Clinton County jail population is not limited to people arrested by local police in Lock Haven or nearby boroughs.
The county's correctional facility page says the current population averages about 300 prisoners. The research did not locate a current official daily dashboard, a dated population census by legal status, or a separate total rated bed count from the county. For that reason, the Clinton County inmate population should be read as a sourced local estimate and custody mix, not a real-time head count. Recent reporting adds a significant immigration and federal layer, with ICE and U.S. Marshals detainees held at the same physical facility.
Clinton County Inmate Population Statistics
Available Clinton County inmate population figures are strongest for facility history, average population, and federal or immigration detention trends. The county source reports an average population around 300 and a 148-bed expansion dedicated in December 2003. Local and statewide reporting in 2026 documented ICE detainee volume and federal custody counts at the facility, but those news figures do not replace an official county daily roster.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Average correctional facility population | About 300 prisoners | Clinton County correctional facility page, accessed in 2026 research |
| Expansion size | 148 beds | Clinton County correctional facility history, December 2003 expansion |
| ICE detainees housed during year | 825 detainees | Lock Haven Express reporting, March 2026 |
| ICE and U.S. Marshals detainees on one date | 84 ICE, 14 USMS | Lock Haven Express reporting, March 16, 2026 |
Clinton County Inmate Population Trends
The long-term Clinton County inmate population story is tied to contract housing and facility expansion. The county says the McElhattan jail was dedicated in 1990 at a cost of more than three million dollars, then expanded in 2003. County history notes that the expansion filled with out-of-county inmates within one month. More recent reporting shows that immigration detention has become a visible part of the population mix.
| Year or Date | Population Measure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | New facility dedicated | County describes the McElhattan facility as a new-generation jail. |
| December 2003 | 148-bed expansion | County says the new beds filled quickly with out-of-county inmates. |
| 2021 | 658 ICE detainees annually | Reported as the prior high point before 2025. |
| 2022-2024 | 315 to 408 ICE detainees annually | Reported range for those years. |
| 2025 | 825 ICE detainees annually | Reported as the highest recent annual total. |
| January 2024 to December 2025 | 80 to 157 ICE-held people monthly | Spotlight PA reported this rise in Clinton County's monthly ICE count. |
Who Makes Up the Clinton County Inmate Population
The Clinton County inmate population is a blended jail population. The county source names pre-trial detainees, convicted offenders, and selected minimum-security participants in Work Release and Community Release. It also says the jail houses prisoners from the state system and other counties. ICE identifies the same facility as an immigration detention location under the Philadelphia Field Office. Recent reporting says U.S. Marshals detainees may also be housed there.
- Pre-trial detainees: people held after arrest while charges, bail, or court dates are pending.
- County-sentenced offenders: people serving local sentences or waiting for transfer.
- Work Release and Community Release: selected minimum-security offenders in structured re-entry programming.
- Outside-agency prisoners: state-system, other-county, federal, USMS, or ICE detainees housed by agreement.
Demographic counts by race, sex, age, charge level, and average length of stay were not located in official Clinton County jail materials. Housing-unit letters appear in the visitation schedule, but those letters should not be treated as demographic data.
Laws Governing Clinton County Inmate Records
Public access to Clinton County inmate records comes from several rules working together. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law provides access to public records unless a statute, privilege, court order, or exception applies. Clinton County's Right-to-Know page names the local open-records officer and accepts requests by mail, fax, email, or in person.
Key Access Rules:
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law allows public-record access unless a valid legal limit applies.
18 Pa.C.S. 9106 limits release of protected intelligence, investigative, and treatment information under CHRIA.
61 Pa.C.S. Chapter 17 governs Pennsylvania county correctional institutions.
37 Pa. Code Chapter 95 sets state administrative standards for county correctional institutions.
These rules explain why some jail facts are public while other details may be withheld. A custody status may be available through VINE, formal charges may be public on UJS, and a booking photo may require a records request that is reviewed under RTKL and CHRIA.
Search Clinton County Inmate Population
Clinton County does not publish a county-run roster table with full booking profiles on the located county pages. The correctional facility page links its inmate search resource to Pennsylvania VINE, also known as PA SAVIN. VINE is a custody-status and notification tool. It can help confirm whether a person has a custody record and can send release or transfer notices, but it is not the same as a complete jail booking sheet.
The image below shows the Pennsylvania VINE custody-status portal used for Clinton County inmate search. The source is Pennsylvania VINE, which the county points to for inmate search.
Because VINE is a notification and custody-status system, missing details should be checked against the jail, court records, or the correct state or federal locator.
- Open Pennsylvania VINE and select Pennsylvania as the state.
- Search by first and last name, using exact spelling first and then common variants.
- If an offender ID is known, use it to narrow the result.
- Use the notification option on the correct result if release or transfer alerts are needed.
- Call Clinton County Correctional Facility at 570-769-7680 when the search is urgent or the booking is recent.
Clinton County Inmate Search Fields
VINE search fields are simpler than a full jail roster. They are aimed at finding a person and registering for notification, not showing every booking detail. Use UJS for formal charges and the jail phone line for custody verification when the VINE result does not answer the practical question.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | State selection | Yes | Select Pennsylvania. |
| First Name | Text | Usually yes for name search | Use the legal name when known. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes for name search | Try spelling variants if no result appears. |
| Offender ID | Text | Optional alternate | Useful when an agency identifier is known. |
| Get Notified | Action | Optional | Registers for custody-status updates on the selected result. |
What a Clinton County Inmate Record Shows
A Clinton County inmate search through VINE may return custody-status information, facility location, name, offender ID, and notification options when a matching record is available. The research did not confirm public VINE display of Clinton County booking number, bond, housing unit, charges, or mugshot fields. Those items may require court lookup, direct jail confirmation, or a Right-to-Know request.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The detainee or offender name returned by VINE if a match is available. |
| Custody status | Whether VINE has current custody information for the person. |
| Facility or location | The holding agency or facility when a current custody record is returned. |
| Notification action | Registration for release, transfer, or status-change alerts. |
| Charges and bond | Not confirmed in the VINE path; use UJS and direct jail or court verification. |
| Mugshot | No Clinton County VINE mugshot field was confirmed in the research. |
County Jail vs State Prison Lookup
Many failed Clinton County inmate searches happen because the wrong system is used. The county jail and VINE path cover local custody and notification. The Pennsylvania DOC inmate and parolee locator covers state-sentenced inmates and parolees. BOP and ICE cover separate federal and immigration custody.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton County jail custody | VINE and facility phone | Pre-trial, county-sentenced, and jail-held detainees when listed. |
| Pennsylvania state custody | PA DOC locator | State-sentenced inmates and parolees, updated daily by DOC. |
| Federal sentenced custody | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates from 1982 forward in BOP custody. |
| Immigration custody | ICE locator or ICE facility line | ICE detainees, including those housed at Clinton County Correctional Facility. |
State Federal and ICE Search
PA DOC says its locator is updated daily and does not include people in county facilities or people incarcerated in another state. The screenshot below comes from the PA DOC inmate locator, which is the correct route after a Clinton County case results in state prison or parole supervision.
Federal and immigration searches are separate. Use the BOP inmate locator for sentenced federal prisoners. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator or the ICE Clinton County facility information line for immigration custody. A federal pretrial detainee held for the U.S. Marshals may not appear in BOP the same way a sentenced person does.
Booking Court and Charge Records
Jail custody and formal court charges are related but not the same record. After a Clinton County arrest, the person may be processed at the correctional facility, appear before a Magisterial District Judge, and then have charges proceed through magisterial court or the Court of Common Pleas. The District Attorney prosecutes misdemeanor and felony cases before the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas.
Formal charges and docket events are searched through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. The screenshot below shows the official UJS case-search interface used for Clinton County court records after an arrest.
UJS can be searched by participant name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, incident number, organization, and other official categories. For scanned complaint documents or older county materials, Clinton County also describes fee-based Infocon access through its online public records page.
Clinton County Mugshots and Photos
No public Clinton County jail roster with booking photographs was located on the county domain. Booking photos should not be promised as part of a VINE result. The official photo channels found in the research are the sheriff's CRIMEWATCH warrant, most-wanted, and arrest posts when the agency chooses to publish a photo. The Clinton County Sheriff's Office CRIMEWATCH page also links app and tip tools.
For a booking photo not posted online, the records route is a Clinton County Right-to-Know request or, for immigration records, ICE FOIA. Pennsylvania RTKL and CHRIA can limit release when a photo is tied to investigative, intelligence, treatment, sealed, juvenile, or otherwise protected information. The Clinton County jail mugshots page covers those limits in more detail.
Clinton County Detention Facilities
The facility map found one public detention facility in Clinton County. Lock Haven and other local police may make arrests or conduct brief processing, but the public detention facility identified for county custody is the Clinton County Correctional Facility. State prison, federal BOP, and ICE searches use separate statewide or federal tools.
- Clinton County Correctional Facility - the county jail and contract detention facility for pre-trial detainees, county offenders, selected work-release/community-release participants, outside-agency prisoners, USMS/federal detainees, and ICE detainees.
Clinton County Custody Terms
Short definitions help separate jail population data from court and release records.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, usually including identity checks, fingerprints, property, and a custody record.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency, such as probation, parole, ICE, another county, or federal authorities.
- OTN
- Offense tracking number used in Pennsylvania court records to connect arrest and charging documents.
- VINE or PA SAVIN
- The custody-status and notification system Clinton County points to for inmate search.
- DOC
- The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, which tracks state-sentenced inmates and parolees.
Clinton County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Clinton County inmate population? The county correctional facility page states that the current population averages about 300 prisoners. The research did not locate a live county dashboard or a current official capacity count, so that figure should be read with its source limitation.
How do I search the Clinton County inmate population? Start with Pennsylvania VINE because the county correctional facility links inmate search to VINE. If VINE has no match and the booking may be recent, call Clinton County Correctional Facility at 570-769-7680.
Why does PA DOC not show a Clinton County jail inmate? PA DOC says county-facility inmates are not included in its locator. Use PA DOC for state-sentenced inmates and parolees after transfer to state custody.
Where are ICE detainees at Clinton County searched? Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator or call the ICE facility information line listed for Clinton County Correctional Facility. ICE custody is separate from ordinary county jail lookup.